Pastoral Transition Updates

​

10/11/22   Welcome to the Manuel Family!

 

Reverend Kevin’s faith journey began in the Roman Catholic Church, in which he was baptized and brought up with his four siblings, first in the Bay Area and later in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where his paternal roots go back to the Gold Rush. He participated in worship, catechism, and table discussion with his immigrant Grandmother giving him a strong sense of right and wrong and a Holy God.

In the summer before beginning college, he was reading a parable in Luke’s Gospel while at camp, and his eyes were open to the fact that he didn’t possess the moral or spiritual wherewithal to stand before such a God. Yet, at the same time, his eyes were opened to the God whose grace for him in Jesus Christ was abundant and allowed him to stand forgiven, reconciled, and embraced because of the cross.

As an undergrad at the University of California-Berkeley, he worshiped at First Pres Berkeley. As a result, he experienced a Christian community, ministry, and mission that set the trajectory for his spiritual and vocational pilgrimage to the present.
Reverend Kevin served as a Camp Counselor and, after graduation, spent a year interning at First Pres Berkeley to explore a call to pastoral ministry. Tina and Kevin married in 1994 and settled in Eugene, Oregon, for a couple of years. Then, hungry for theological education, they headed south to Fuller Theological Seminary, graduating in 2000.

His first ordained call was as a campus Pastor to UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty. Interim ministry training from 2004-2006 provided skills to help congregations be missionally adaptive in an ever-changing world. That training has proven invaluable for service in interim ministry and all his pastoral ministry.

In 2008 he was called to Bethany Presbyterian Church in Brookline, MA, to fill the Pastor/Head of Staff. Then a call to First United Presbyterian Church in Cambridge, MA, in 2012 as Solo Pastor. His family loved being a part of a multi-ethnic (50% African American), vibrant, faithful congregation. But sadly, he had to resign due to intractable allergy/asthma issues in historic buildings, even after mitigations and renovations. He served as an interim pastor but ran into the same allergy issues from old musty built circa 1765, which is the norm in New England.

Kevin and Tina felt an immediate connection to the people on the CPC PNC when they visited in May, and it has been easy to envision a joyful partnership in Christ ever since. He feels drawn to the transitional challenges the church is facing and senses God calling him to use his gifts to seek renewed worship, ministry, and mission.

They love the natural beauty of the place and less allergenic/asthma-friendly environs compared to New England! Finally, the responsiveness and initiative of the PNC, Session, Property, Finance, and others, to promptly complete the requisite building remediation was a huge affirmation for them. They felt like they were already beginning to partner in a ministry of renewal when the skilled professionals were brought in to investigate and mitigate. The work was faithfully moved across the finish line, and Kevin’s visit confirmed the open door on August 9th. Thanks be to God!!

Tina is a native of Indianapolis, IN, and came to faith through the ministry of Southport Presbyterian Church, was actively involved in their youth ministry, and even served on a PNC in high school. In addition, she attended UC Berkeley, where she and Kevin met through the First Pres. Berkeley college group (while square dancing on a winter retreat in 1990).

Tina has worked as an assistant dean of students (Scripps College in Claremont, CA) and director of children’s ministry at First Pres. Berkeley, and for the last decade as a capital campaign manager/project manager at the non-profit elder care organization Hebrew SeniorLife. She is passionate about children’s ministry, assisting with worship music via vocals and percussion, running and exercise, and reading murder mystery novels (a genre of which she is something of an armchair expert, having read hundreds of books by varied authors).

Mark is a senior Medicine, Health, and Society major with a Business minor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. He loves his Christian fellowship at Vandy (RUF - Reformed University Fellowship), songwriting and music production, playing spike ball and basketball, working out, and making/drinking high-quality coffee with friends. He is actively interviewing with consulting firms while also exploring a graduate program in finance for next year.

Abby just transferred from Whitworth University to Vanderbilt University, where she is a sophomore studying Elementary Education and Child Studies. She is passionate about early childhood education and wants to eventually get a master’s degree in special education after teaching for some years. Abby enjoys children, is an avid and gifted runner, is always enthusiastic about doing arts and crafts with friends, and loves eating healthy gluten-free food (she is allergic to gluten, just like her dad). She is learning jiu-jitsu this fall through the student club on campus and is always sporting lots of bruises.

 

Let us warmly welcome Reverend Kevin and his family!

Carol Nelson, Joan Sheets, Lee Rondema, George Johnson, Craig Dennis, and Julie St Peter

​

Please see the full letter and Congregational Meeting information for December 4th HERE. 

​

8/22/22   The PNC is working very hard on the items needing attention before us. We are praying that all the work needing to be completed currently is also receiving its due attention. God has made a way when their seemed to be no way! He has been so faithful in making a way that the PNC remains bold with God, keeping faith with His way!

We invite you to join us in prayer, keeping faith in God’s way. For this writer, it is an opportunity to work on my lacking skill of patience, a fruit of the Spirit that can often taste bitter, but oh can our God turn it sweet in the learning.
 

Let me close with this:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5: 22-25

​

​

6/22/22   Your CPC Pastor Nominating Committee remains encouraged by the candidates we have spoken with. There are many moving parts to calling the Pastor anointed just for CPC, and the PNC remains nimble in praying over and working on each part needing attention. Let’s celebrate how we have kept our church family together and moving forward in worship and deepening faith with study/talk groups. The talents and hours given to CPC during this time are worth a Cheer (hip, hip, hooray) and Grateful Thanks by our congregation. Good on you! God’s hand of provision has been large and constant!

A Prayer Offering: God, the One in whom we live and move and have our being, give us a vision of the times of our lives and the new situations in which we live out our faith in Jesus. May we ask anew what it means to be the Church of our time, our place. And as we work to call a new pastor to our congregation, may we welcome according to your Spirit the one you are sending to us to lead us into the new days ahead. Amen

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body your were called to peace, And be thankful” Colossians 3:15

​

​

5/20/22   Your PNC continues the work of locating our Pastor. We have poured through resumes and thanked those who were not a fit for their interest. We have conducted first-round interviews and deliberated after as a team with others. Again, we thanked those who didn’t fit for their interest and wished them well on their search for a church and congregation to shepherd.

 

We have now entered into second-round interviews to go deeper with the candidates and share more about our church, the congregation, and our community. These second-round conversations have been fruitful, and we now take time to pray and discern what God is telling us through the candidates. Is this the anointed one chosen for CPC?

​

As we search and serve you, our church family, we appreciate the prayers you are lifting as we press on with the task before us of finding CPC’s Pastor. We are grateful for all the hours that volunteers and guest Pastors have given in keeping our worship together and God-honoring. Please continue your patient waiting. God is with us, and God is for us!

 

 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,

kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  Colossians 3:12

​

​

4/20/22   Prayer and Discernment light the way as the CPC PNC continues its journey in finding the Pastor anointed for our church. Our committee receives and reviews PIF’s (resumes) as they are made available by the Presbytery and move forward with interviewing top candidates. 

​

Thank goodness for Zoom, as it has given the PNC the ability to meet with candidates without the logistic issues. As with any search trying to fill a position, we have had our challenges; when they have come, we pray and know that our church family continues to pray with us. 

​

Please continue those all-important and much-needed prayers! The committee remains confident and committed that God is leading us to our new Pastor.

​

“Therefore I tell you, whatever your ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24
 

​

3/10/22   Greetings, here is an update from your PNC!

​

The committee has met and shared the information gathered during the reference checks of the candidates. As a committee, we voted to move forward with some candidates, and each committee member was tasked with coming up with a question to ask during those interviews. After all committee members shared their questions, an appointment was arranged with the candidates to conduct a Zoom interview. 

​​

During that interview, each committee member asked their prepared question to learn more about the candidate beyond their resumes. Next, we invited candidates to ask questions of us. And then asked the candidate to close the interview time with prayer. After each Zoom interview, the committee took time to discuss the impression gained during the interview. In the meantime, we have received more PIFs and will meet to discuss these new candidates this week.

 

I will leave you this scripture as the PNC continues its search. Matthew 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Please continue to pray as we do. Prayer is first always as we seek God’s anointed Pastor for CPC.

​

​

2/14/22   Greetings from your CPC PNC! (I hope you caught all those letters.)

​

We have been busy meeting every week to move forward in finding the new Pastor that God has anointed for CPC. Committee members have reviewed candidate PIF’s (Pastoral Information Forms or more common term Resume) and taken on interviewing their references provided. 

​

It has been wonderful to chat with other Christian brothers and sisters who have worked and worshiped alongside these candidates. As a committee, we have sat together watching videos of candidates’ sermons and engaged in lively review discussions. We are always keeping in mind CPC’s mission statement and hopeful visions for the future of our church and its members. 

​

Bathing all this work in prayer, we journey on taking the charge we’ve been given, always in front of us. We remain confident that God will show us who HE has explicitly groomed for us. We ask you to join us in this prayer; as a church family, it is essential for us to be together in praying for our future Pastor, whoever he or she may be.
 

​

1/17/22   Lots of news to share, so let’s dive in!  A Pastoral Nominating Committee of 7 CPC members was seated in November 2021. The committee finalized a job description and a Mission Information Form for publication/posting on the Presbytery Employment search website.

 

CPC session had been advised by Presbytery to call a Designated Pastor and session voted yes to move in that direction to a Pastoral Call. A Designated Pastor is approved by the Committee on Ministry at the Presbytery level and Presbytery to serve a term of 2-4 years by vote of the congregation. Nominated by the Pastoral Nominating Committee from among the candidates designated by Presbytery. After 2 years a Designated Pastor, by vote of the congregation, may become the permanent pastor.  

 

With that charge the PNC has begun their work in reviewing and discussing the Pastoral Information forms (resumes) that have been submitted to us through Presbytery of the Cascades. The PNC has come together to review sermons of the considered candidates and have prayed fervently for God’s guidance. We are committed to the job we have been tasked with to find the Pastor that God has found and groomed just for us. As was said during 1/16/22 worship service PNC update message: “This PNC believes that this congregation deserves the best candidate we can find no matter how long it takes, rather than settling for the best of the rest for a fast finish.” We appreciate your prayers and patience in the process.

​

​

9/24/21   On September 7th Session approved a job description for a designated Pastor, and received approval from the Commission on Ministries (COM) from Presbytery for the job description. COM gave approval for Session to form a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), which is the next step in the process.

​

We will have a Congregation Meeting October 24th to vote on members of this committee. In conjunction with the COM, the session will be recruiting a bridge pastor. The bridge Pastor is a short term position to meet CPC's pastoral needs while the PNC works to identify a designated Pastor. If you have questions about the specifics, please contact the office to be connected to Frank St Peter.

​

​

9/17/21   As your Session we are in charge of seeing the church through this time of transition diligently searching for God's will for our church family.  We are committed to making this process as transparent as possible, and communicating to you regularly. Our first step was to put together a Job Description as a Session with input from the Personnel Committee members. We have completed the process by voting as a Session on the final edition of the Job Description, which we sent to the Presbytery of the Cascades Commission on Ministry (COMC) for discussion at their upcoming September meeting. Once the COMC approves our submitted Job Description, we will nominate and seat a Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC). 

​

Most important to this process is your prayers! Prayer is vital and so very needed at this time.  Additionally, would you please allow an abundance of patience to let the process run? God is in charge, at work, and grooming our new pastor as we pray for that person.